Ultimate XMen: SINISTER RECKONING
by Dino Pollard
Summary: Takes place after HONOR AMONG THIEVES. In the wake of the 911, Scott Summers is forced to return home after an urgent call from his brother. But all isn't well back in Anchorage, and Scott's grandparents are acting very strangely...
1. Part I: Homecoming

* * *

Issue #10 

"SINISTER RECKONING"  
Part I: Homecoming 

_by Dino Pollard_

* * *

  
****

_She's late..._

That's the only thought running through his head as he stands in front of the gates to Empire State University. The sun was bright, yet the ruby-quartz sunglasses he wore wouldn't allow him to acknowledge the brightness of the day. 

Scott Summers focused his eyes on his watch. 

_1:27... she's not showing up... God I feel like an idiot..._

He took a drag on the cigarette between his fingers. He knew he shouldn't smoke, but it helped relax him when he was stressed out. Better out here than on campus, anyway. The last thing he needed was another speech from Monet about the dangers of polluting her air. 

"Nice glasses!" someone exclaimed, grabbing them off his face. 

"Hey!" Scott shouted, instantly shutting his eyes and bringing his free hand up to cover them. "What are you doing?!" 

"Oh calm down..." the person stated, sliding his glasses back on his face. "There, how's that?" 

Scott opened his eyes, and looked up at the person. 

"Just... perfect..." he muttered, looking up to see Maggie standing there. Her blonde hair spilled down her back. She was wearing a white top, khaki pants, and a thin, beige jacket. She smiled down at him. 

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "And for jumping you like that." 

"No worries," Scott grinned. "So, you ready?" 

"Yeah," she said. "Where we going?" 

"Oh, I dunno..." Scott replied. "I thought maybe we'd just go for a little walk." 

"A walk? Is that the best you can do?" 

"You better believe it," he stated, dropping the cigarette and putting it out with his shoe. "Who knows what else we might find, though?" 

"You're a strange man, Scott Summers..." Maggie muttered. 

"And you love me for it," he said, putting his arm around her. She smiled and leaned into him. 

"You better not forget it." 

* * *

"Sir, you can't go in--UHH!!!" 

***SLAM***

Nick Fury looked up as the man stormed into his office. Outside, a SHIELD agent was lying on the ground. 

"Don't worry, I didn't kill 'im." 

"Shouldn't you be in Westchester?" Fury asked. "What the hell are you doing here, Logan?" 

"Where is he?" 

"Who?" 

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHO!!" Logan exclaimed, slamming his fist on Fury's desk. The mutant drew a deep breath before speaking again. "Creed. Where is he?" 

"Wish I knew," Fury replied. "But I don't." 

"What the hell do you mean you don't know?!" Logan shouted. "He was apprehended by government agents!!" 

"No government agency apprehended Creed," Fury noted. "If they did, they must've been a third party. We're still tryin' to figure out who is behind this, but so far we don't have any leads." 

"Someone is runnin' around out there with the world's deadliest assassin," Logan stated. "An' you have no leads?!" 

"HAVE YOU FUCKING BEEN OUT THERE?!?" Fury shouted, leaping from his chair. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! IN CASE YOU DIDN'T REALIZE IT, SOLDIER, THERE'S A FUCKING WAR GOING ON!!! WE'VE GOT SHIELD AGENTS SCOURING THE MIDDLE EAST TRYIN' TO LOCATE BIN LADEN, THERE ARE ANTHRAX SCARES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HALF THE POPULATION IS TERRIFIED TO GO INTO THE AIR, AND I'VE GOT THE PRESIDENT, NOT TO MENTION THE UN, BREATHING DOWN MY NECK!!! RIGHT NOW, SHIELD'S MAIN PRIORITY IS STOPPING A CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORISM FROM TURNING INTO FUCKING WORLD WAR THREE!!! SO YOU'LL FORGIVE ME FOR SAYING, BUT VICTOR FUCKING CREED CAN WAIT HIS FUCKING TURN!!!" 

Silence filled the air for a few seconds before Fury sat down again, becoming calmer. 

"Even if Sabretooth is out there, he's not an idiot," Fury continued. "He'll be laying low for awhile." 

"Nick---" 

"Don't even fucking bother, Logan," Fury interrupted. "This isn't your concern. This ain't your war. Go back to the X-Men. That's where you're needed right now." 

"What about the Afghans?" Logan asked. "Don't you want the X-Men's assistance?" 

"As of right now, no," Fury replied. "The President has specifically requested to keep the X-Men away from this matter. You're to concentrate on mutant issues. There's enough strife in the UN right now about weapons. An' a mutant strike force falls in that category. Lay low. If we need your help, we'll ask for it." 

"What're ya gonna do?" 

"If it were up to me, I'd find bin Laden and arrange his major organs in alphabetical order. But it's not. If we locate him, we're to capture him and bring him in. Then we're supposed to turn him over to the UN. That's fucking politics for ya." 

"Right..." Logan stated. "I should get back to base. Lemme know if you find anything on Creed." 

* * *

{{ ...OH MY GOD!!! ANOTHER PLANE JUST FLEW INTO THE SECOND TOWER... }} 

{{ ...the worst attack on the nation since Pearl Harbor... }} 

{{ ...some passengers apparently rebelled against the terrorists... }} 

{{ ...so soon after the attack on Times Square by the mutant terrorist Magneto, one wonders if New York will ever truly be the same... }} 

***CLICK***

"Dear God, Erik... is this what you wanted? A world where we would constantly live in fear? A world where people are constantly looking over their shoulder, suspecting everyone?" 

Charles looked at the framed picture of him standing next to Erik Lehnsherr and a striking young woman with raven-colored hair. 

"BASTARD!!!" he exclaimed, throwing the picture at the wall. 

***CRASH***

"What madness corrupted your soul?" Charles asked himself. "What happened to those three young individuals who were going to change the world?" 

***KNOK***

The door opened a crack, and Jean stood there. 

"Charles? I thought I heard somethi--" 

"It's all right, Jean, come in," Charles stated. Jean noticed the picture and shattered frame lying near the wall. 

"What happened?" Jean asked, looking over there. 

"It's not important," Charles replied, wheeling himself behind his desk. He grabbed some papers and pretended to be doing some actual work. 

Jean telekinetically lifted the picture and it hovered there a bit before racing into her hand. 

"The guy in this picture looks familiar..." she muttered. 

"Is there something you needed, Jean?" 

"I just came to... wait..." 

"Jean?" 

"This guy..." Jean began. "This is Magneto, isn't it?" 

Xavier offered no reply. 

"This picture doesn't look very old... wait, you're friends with a mutant terrorist?!" 

"_Were_ friends," Charles replied. "We both knew that we had different goals in mind... and different ways of achieving those goals. If push came to shove, we both understood what was at stake." 

"So... what are we gonna do?" 

"Magneto is still in a coma - he's harmless." 

"No... I meant what are we gonna do about the terrorist attacks?" 

Silence filled the void left by Jean Grey's words. 

"Professor? Charles?" 

"...I have no idea, Jean," Xavier replied. "This isn't something that can be solved by running in and throwing around super strength, optic blasts, or adamantium claws. Magneto was just one man. one man who's influence - thankfully - hasn't become widespread. But this is something entirely different. These are terrorist organizations behind the attacks. They have followers probably in every nation on the planet. How are we supposed to fight such large numbers? And if we did, would we be right in doing so?" 

"Sure, why not?" 

"Whether you approve of their beliefs or not doesn't change the fact that they're still beliefs. These people are willing to die for what they believe in. How can you fight someone like that and come out on top?" 

Now it was Jean's turn to be silent. 

* * *

"Well why not?!" John demanded. 

"Because it's not right, that's why," Ali replied. 

"So these people can just kill tons of American citizens, and we can't do anything about it? That's bull." 

"I don't think killing more innocent people is gonna help matters," Ali stated. 

"I still say we should nuke the bastards," John noted. "If we send in ground troops, then we'll have to worry about a war. That means a draft. That means that a lot of soldiers are gonna die. You can cut through all that by just firing off some nukes." 

"Thereby turning it into an even bigger international incident," Hank interjected from his seat. "If we nuke the Afghans, then we'll have the UN all over our collective asses. Not to mention the fact that the Middle East would become an uninhabitable wasteland. Decades later, the effects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still being felt." 

"What?" John asked. 

"Are you truly an imbecile or is it all just an act?" Monet asked. "World War II. When the US dropped atomic bombs on Japan. The cities were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I would expect them to have drilled it into your head in history classes." 

"Well... they might've," John replied with a grin. "But I was busy paying more attention to Whitney Cavanah." 

"Typical male," Monet stated, walking out of the room. Hank noticed she left her book there, grabbed it, and followed her. 

***BRIIIING***

"Yo," John stated, picking up the phone. "Who? No... no he's not here. He went out. I dunno... maybe a few hours or so... Okay... okay, I'll let him know. Yeah, bye." 

"Who was that?" Ali asked. 

"Someone for Scott," John replied. "Where'd Beastie boy and Miss Priss run off to?" 

Ali shrugged. 

* * *

"Monet!" Hank exclaimed. "Hey, you forgot your book." 

Monet stopped and looked at him. When he handed the book to her, she smiled and took it. 

"Thank you." 

She turned to continue walking before he spoke up. 

"Hey... umm listen... I was wondering if you studied for that calc test... and if you hadn't, then maybe we could... umm... kind of study together... maybe... if you wanted to, that is... because it's probably pretty hard and..." 

"Henry, stop babbling and ask me out, already," Monet ordered. Hank looked up at her in surprise. 

"Okay umm... do you wanna go out sometime?" 

"I'd love to," she said. "But right now, I have some work to do. We'll talk later." 

She took flight in the hallway, heading back towards the dorms. Hank turned away, a massive grin on his face. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, and leapt into the air, clicking his heels together. 

* * *

**Later**

Scott opened the door to his dorm and took off his jacket, tossing it in the closet. He saw John laying on the bed, watching TV. 

"Why the hell are you smiling?" he asked. "Did she give you head or something?" 

"A gentleman never tells," Scott replied. 

"What's that got to do with you?" 

"You're lucky I don't kick your ass back to the reservation," Scott stated. 

"Dude, you've been seeing that chick like, non-stop for the past month. Things're starting to get serious?" 

"You might say that..." 

"Oh, that reminds me, someone called for you while you were out," John stated, fumbling through some papers on the nightstand, trying to find the message. 

"Who?" Scott asked. 

"Umm... let's see... said his name was Alex." 

"Alex?" 

"Yeah, you know him?" 

"You might say that," Scott replied. "He's my brother. What'd he want?" 

"Didn't say, just wanted you to call him back," John said. "He sounded kinda distressed or something." 

"Alright, thanks," Scott replied, picking up the phone. He dialed the number quickly. "Alex? Yeah, it's me. What's up? ...Wait, slow down, man. What do you mean I need to come home? Why?" 

Scott's facial expression changed to one of fear. 

"What's wrong with Gramps and Nana?! What do you mean you're not sure, either something's wrong with them or it isn't, I--" 

He sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. 

"All right, I'll try to be there as soon as I can. Just hang tight, man." 

He hung up the phone, and looked at his confused roommate. 

"What the hell was that all about?" John asked. 

"Family business," Scott replied. "There's apparently something wrong with my grandparents, so I gotta try and get out to Anchorage as soon as possible." 

* * *

**Anchorage**

"There ya are." 

"Thanks," Scott said, handing the cab driver the fare. "Keep the change." He approached the front door as the cab drove off and rang the doorbell. There was a delay before the door opened to reveal a teenage boy with blonde hair standing there. 

"Scott...?" he asked. 

"Who else would I be?" Scott asked. "C'mon Alex, quit playing around and let me in." 

"Man, is it good to see you!" Alex exclaimed, suddenly throwing his arms around his brother's neck. 

"Whoa whoa... I missed you too, but let's not lose our heads." 

"Right... sorry," Alex replied. 

"Come clean, man. What's wrong wi--" 

"Alex? Who's that at the door?" 

An elderly woman stepped into view and her eyes grew bright once she saw who it was. 

"Scott!!" she exclaimed. "My god, what are you doing back?!" 

"Hey Nana," Scott said, giving his grandmother a hug. He glanced at Alex, who shook his head. "I... I just thought I'd drop by for a surprise visit." 

"Scotty!!!" an elderly man exclaimed. "What are you doing home?!" 

"We're on break right now, Gramps," Scott lied. Alex wanted him here for something, and he didn't want their grandparents to know. Scott was willing to play along for now - but he still wanted to know what the hell was going on. 

"I wish you would've called us first, Scotty," Gramps said. "But what the hey - your room's still the same way you left it." 

* * *

"Alex, time's up." 

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" 

"What the hell's going on?" Scott asked. "Gramps and Nana seem perfectly normal. Sure, they're a little eccentric, but they've always been like that." 

"There's something not right about them, Scott..." Alex replied. "Gramps spends a lot of time in the basement for some reason. I tried to see what was down there one day, and he started yelling at me. Gramps _never_ yelled at us. He always left the discipline stuff to Nana, remember?" 

"...well yeah..." 

"And Nana's acting weird... just... weird. It feels like I'm stuck in the Twilight Zone or something. I dunno what the fuck I'm supposed to do." 

"Shit Alex... I've got priorities back in New York - I've gotta worry about classes and you're calling me out here because you've got a case of fucking paranoia..." 

"Why don't you check the basement before you start accusing me of being paranoid?" Alex asked. "Gramps caught me when I tried to go down there." 

"Fine," Scott replied. "I'll check out the basement, and then you'll see that you're just being a pain in the ass." 

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Erik Lehnsherr. 

Once the most dangerous man on the planet is now as harmless as a newborn baby. He lies in a plastic containment unit, so in the improbable event that he awakes from his coma, he won't be able to free himself. 

A man with short, red hair and dark sunglasses stood over him. He looked down at the life-support systems. 

"It would be so easy..." he muttered. "All I'd have to do is pull the plug, and the world would never have to worry about Magneto anymore." 

He took his glasses off and cleaned them with a handkerchief he pulled out of his breast pocket. Then, he replaced them. 

"You do realize that you've been my greatest ally, don't you?" he asked. "Thanks to you, the world fears mutants. Thanks to you, the M-Squad will soon become a full-fledged organization on par with the FBI. And, if all goes well, Project: WIDEAWAKE will be next. You stupid bastard - don't you realize that you've basically doomed your entire, accidental species?" 

Henry Peter Gyrich expected no reply, simply leaving the room. 

And something moved... 

* * *

**Anchorage**

Scott Summers walked down into the basement. At first, it seemed relatively normal. Everything was just the way he expected it to be. 

"Alex, you fucking pussy..." he muttered under his breath - despite the fact that Alex was still upstairs. Scott knew that he wouldn't find anything down here. He just came down to ease Alex's fears. 

Just as Scott was about to go back up the stairs, he spotted a sliver of odd light coming from a crack in the wall. 

"Huh?" he asked, moving closer. He examined the crack, and suddenly, the wall slid to the side. 

Behind it were computers and lab equipment that made SHIELD's equipment seem outdated. But that's not what frightened him. It was what was in the center of the room. 

Two large vats, filled with some sort of green material that almost resembled Jell-O. Inside the vats were his grandparents, attatched to all sorts of wires. 

"Holy shit..." 

*KLUNK* 

** *KLUNK* **

** *KLUNK***

"Fuck!" Scott cursed silently, and slid into an alcove to try and hide. He looked towards the opening as a man who appeared to be Gramps walked in. "Gramps" sighed deeply and seemed to relax his muscles. It was then that his form began to change shape - into that of a man with ash-white skin, short dark hair, and a red diamond in the center of his forehead. 


	2. Part II: Fighting Chance

* * *

Issue #11 

"SINISTER RECKONING"  
Part II: Fighting Chance 

_by Dino Pollard_

* * *

  
**** His name is Scott Summers. And right now, he's scared as all hell. 

He returned to the house he grew up in at the request of his younger brother, Alex, who was worried that something was wrong with their grandparents. He thought everything was fine. Alex told him that something was going on in the basement. 

While investigating, Scott realized that Alex was right. His grandfather was actually some sort of shape-shifter with white skin. His real grandparents were held in some sort of suspended animation. And now, Scott was wondering what the hell he was going to do. 

Scott watched carefully as the man picked up a device of some sort. Then, he began to speak into it. 

"Entry #253: Scott Summers has returned home from school for some odd reason. His presence threatens to jeopardize everything I've worked so hard to accomplish. I've viewed the footage from Magneto's attack on New York, and I witnessed a young man allied with Magneto's opposition who could fire beams of energy from his eyes. This man possessed Scott's same physical attributes and mannerisms, and due to the fact that Scott constantly wears dark red sunglasses, I'm positive that he is part of this team. Their mode of transportation is far too advanced not to be government issue, meaning that they either work for a government agency, or they pirated the technology. Either way, that means that Scott has received specialized training over the past few months. I realize that I must dispose of him quickly if I am to succeed in my plans." 

A chill was sent down Scott's spine as he heard the man speak. He began to remove his sunglasses, prepared to unleash his optic blasts on this man. 

_Wait, what am I doing?_ he thought, quickly sliding his glasses back over his eyes. _I don't know a damn thing about this guy. If I try to fight him now and I lose, that means nothing's changed. I gotta get Alex out of here first._

The man moved over to the vats which housed Scott's grandparents. He moved around towards the back of the lab, and when his back was turned, Scott ran out the door. The man turned to hear the sound of footsteps running up the stairs. He pressed a button on a control panel. 

* * *

{{ "Mutants are an aberration!! They're creatures crafted from the Devil! We were warned of dangers such as the one they pose in the Book of Revelations! The day is coming soon, and we must be prepa--" }} 

***KRASH***

"Sodding cow, I was watchin' that!!" 

"Too bad." 

"If it weren't fer M--" 

"Children, please." 

The mutants looked to see a figure with a commanding presence approach them. 

"That minister won't be much of a concern, anymore. It's time for us to make our presence known." 

* * *

**Westchester**

{{ "Tonight on Behind The Music, we explore the short-lived career of one of the most-dazzling pop-stars to ever appear on the music scene! Alison Blaire had it all - fame, talent, fortune - and at the age of 16, no less!! Known for her captivating lightshows at concerts, Alison's powerful voice was what packed the crowds in. Many believe that she was on the path to becoming the next Madonna!" }} 

{{ "Then, tragedy struck. During her last concert, she was attacked by men with guns, when her body suddenly emitted brilliant light. After a showdown with the men, as well as backed up by another mutant, Blaire vanished. What happened to her? Where did she go? With her career in shambles, where is she now? Join us, as we explore the short life and career of Alison Bla--" }} 

***CLICK***

"I was hoping that they would forget... that anything that was left of my career would just become filler for the tabloids..." 

She rubbed her eyes and placed the remote control back on the table. 

"But they don't forget, do they? They'll never forget. No one forgets something that... that big. No one ever forgets watching someone's life being ruined..." 

Ororo Munroe looked at her teammate with a bit of unease. Since her time with the X-Men, she's barely spoken to anyone on the team, save for John. 

"Umm... maybe I'm not the best person you should be talking about this with, Ali..." she stated. "I mean... we're not exactly..." 

"But look at you!!" Ali exclaimed. "You never seem to talk at all!! It's like, you just show up, fight the bad guys, and then run to your room to sulk. I know John's life was ruined, too... but he seems to be over it. You though... you don't say anything about what your life was like. What happened to you?" 

"I'm not real comfortable talking about this," Ororo stated, turning away. 

"So why don't you make yourself comfortable?" 

"Why are you so interested, anyway?" Ororo asked. "What's it matter to you?" 

"I just thought that maybe we might have some common ground..." Ali replied. "And I thought maybe it'd be better if you talk about these things..." 

"Common ground? Common ground?! Don't make me laugh." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Face it, blondie," Ororo replied. "We ain't got any common ground!! You're a spoiled little white girl who grew up in suburbia!! You got your big break and became a pop-star!! Now, you're not a spoiled, suburban white girl - you're a spoiled, RICH AND FAMOUS white girl!! And me? I grew up on the streets of LA. I hadta steal to survive! I hadta hook up with some... people just to stay alive! Common ground my ass..." 

"You wanna tell me about it?" Ali asked. 

"Y'know, for someone whose power is based on sound, you sure don't know much about listening," Ororo replied. She turned and walked out the room. 

Ali sighed and looked at the phone on the table. She almost considered calling her parents or her agent - but what would she say? They hadn't seen or heard from her in months. What was she supposed to do? 

"Oh yeah... REAL great life..." she muttered, creating some small light bubbles with her fingers. 

* * *

"Scott...?" Alex asked, as Scott ran into the room and closed the door. "What's going on?" 

"You were right, Alex," Scott replied. "There's some... guy impersonating Gramps. He's got really white skin, and there's like some sort of lab or something in the basement. Something out of a movie..." 

"What about Gramps and Nana?" Alex asked. "Does that mean they're...?" 

"I dunno," Scott replied. "I saw them in some sort of tubes... but I couldn't tell if they were alive or dead. Alex, we gotta get out of he--" 

***KNOCK***

"Alex? Scott? Are you guys in there?" 

"Sounds like Nana's voice," Alex said. 

"It's not her, it's something else..." Scott stated. 

"What're we gonna do?" 

"We gotta get out." 

"How?" Alex asked. "She's right there at the door, how are we gonna..." 

He turned to see Scott opening up the window. 

"Ooooooooh no, no, HELL no!!" Alex exclaimed. "You better just be opening that window to get some fresh air, because there's no way in hell I'm..." 

"Dude, just shut up!" Scott exclaimed. 

***BANG***

"BOYS, OPEN UP RIGHT NOW!!" 

"The door's beginning to crack..." Alex muttered. Scott grabbed him and pulled him by the windowsill. 

"Remember the last time we did this?" Scott asked. 

"Yeah, but we had a parachute back then," Alex replied. 

"Go limp." 

Scott pulled off his glasses and placed them in his coat, keeping his eyes shut. Alex grasped onto him firmly, and they leapt out the window. 

"YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND!!!!!" Alex shouted as they fell. Scott opened his eyes, unleashing concussive energy from them. It began to slow their descent, and when they got close enough to the ground, Scott closed his eyes, and they both fell in the snow. 

"You okay?" Scott asked, reaching into his pocket and putting his glasses back on. 

"Yeah..." Alex muttered. "Ow... that landing felt familiar..." 

"Look, I want you to do something," Scott said. He reached into his pocket and handed Alex his cell phone. "Go somewhere safe and call the first number in the memory. Talk to someone there and tell them what happened - tell them everything I told you. Tell them you're my brother." 

"Hell no, I'm staying with you!" Alex exclaimed. 

"Don't be a dumbass!!" Scott shouted. "Just go somewhere safe and make the call!" 

Alex stood there before running off. 

Scott walked up to the house and removed his glasses again, blowing the door off its hinges. He walked inside, to see his "grandmother" walking towards him. 

"Why did you slam the door, Scott?" she asked, stepping forward. Her eyes began to glow strangely. "You really shouldn't have done that. You're being very bad today." 

Scott slid his glasses up again and fired an optic blast at his "grandmother." 

The blast cleaved her in two, revealing that she was nothing more than a robot. 

"Whoa..." Scott muttered. 

He walked towards the basement door, when something hit him from behind. 

"UNGH!!!" 

Scott looked up and saw the man with white skin standing there. 

"I would have preferred the young one, but I suppose you'll do," he stated. "By the way, we haven't been introduced, yet. You can call me Sinister." 

He lifted up a gun and fired it at Scott, knocking the X-Man unconscious. 

* * *

"C'mon... c'mon... answer... somebody answer..." Alex muttered. 

{{ Hello? }} 

"I'm Scott's brother!" 

{{ Oooookay... }} 

"Listen to me, something's happened!!" Alex exclaimed. "Scott came up here because I asked him to, because something was funny with our grandparents. And he did, and found out that some psycho had built a lab in our basement and imprisoned our grandparents and was impersonating them!! So now, he's still there, probably facing off against that psycho, and he told me to call you!" 

Alex stopped for a second to listen to the voice on the other end. What he didn't realize was that he had gotten too excited. His hands began to glow, and the phone became vaporized in it. 

* * *

"Hello? Hello?" Jean asked, speaking into the phone. 

"Somethin' wrong?" Logan asked, laying across the couch with a beer in his hand. 

"That was Scott's brother," Jean replied. 

"How's he doin' up there?" Logan asked. 

"I don't know, his brother said that something strange was going on up there... something about his grandparents being kidnapped and Scott facing off against some psycho. Then, the connection was lost." 

"Better t'be safe than sorry," Logan stated, placing his beer on the table and standing up. "Go tell the others to suit up and meet in the hangar." 

* * *

***FWZAAAM***

Alex looked at his hands and the small crater he just made in the road. 

"Whoa... cool." 


	3. Part III: Havoc

* * *

Issue #12 

"SINISTER RECKONING"  
Part III: Havoc 

_by Dino Pollard_

* * *

  
****

_Ugh... someone get the number of that truck that hit me..._

"Awake, are we?" 

_What? Who's there?_

Heavy lids slowly began to open. 

_What happened... last thing I remember was sending Alex off and then... that Sinister guy... then it all went black..._

"Ahh... good, you are awake." 

Scott's eyes fully opened and he found himself staring at Sinister. He tried to leap at him, but something blocked him. Something made of... glass? 

He surveyed his surroundings and found that he was naked, and he was in some sort of vat - in a liquid similar to the one he saw his grandparents in. He reached up to his face and found that there was some sort of helmet on his head. As Sinister spoke, he could hear him - meaning that the helmet must have speakers of some sort. 

"Don't bother trying to use your powers, Scott," Sinister stated. "The helmet you're wearing acts as a buffer to them." 

Scott tried to speak, but found he couldn't. 

"I know how to do quite a few things, actually. I'll admit, I'm mainly here to monitor the progress of your brother - yet you're an added bonus. In fact, I think I'll enjoy finding the fault in your x-factor gene that prevents you from controlling your powers." 

Sinister looked at some computer printouts. He was wearing a lab coat and apparently, medical scrubs underneath. 

"You've heard of the great minds of the twentieth century, correct? Thomas Edison? Albert Einstein? Naturally." 

He turned to look at Scott. 

"Does the name Nathaniel Essex ring any bells?" 

Scott simply rolled his eyes. 

"Obviously, you can tell that I am Nathaniel Essex. And it also seems that you find it cliche for the villain to explain his master plan. First off, I'm a scientist, not a villain. Let's get that straight. And secondly, I already revealed my master plan. It's not all that elaborate - it's actually very simple. I'm here to monitor your brother's progression. All I'm doing is informing you about my past." 

Sinister sat in a chair and rolled it over to Scott's vat. 

"You should have been here for the turn of the twentieth century, Scott. My god, it was magnificent. However, it wasn't perfect. And my fellow "colleagues" thought my theories on human evolution were absurd. They felt that humanity was perfect the way it was and wouldn't evolve any more. And, that even if humanity would evolve further, it would take place over hundreds, thousands, possibly even millions of years. I was... impatient." 

_What the hell is he going on about?_ Scott thought. 

"Did you know that the evolution of mutants wasn't natural?" 

Scott looked up at this, his ears suddenly perking. 

"As predictable as it sounds, Scott, I'm your father," Sinister stated. "As well as the father of every other mutant on this planet." 

_Huh?_

"It was through my genetic experiments that the first mutant was given life. You've heard of the Invaders, haven't you? Surely you read about them in your history books. What you don't know is how they were created - one of them, specifically. One of them was engineered to be more than human. I realized, if I could do that, then perhaps I could spawn an entire race of these superhumans. After all, everyone has the potential for it. Here, let me explain." 

Sinister reached down and picked up a padlock. He held it up for Scott to see. 

"You know how a lock works, correct? There are tumblers inside, and as the lock turns to a certain area - marked by a number - things click into place and the lock opens. It's the same way with the x-factor gene. Everyone has it - it's just the matter of placing the tumblers in the exact position to unlock it. That is the challenge. And it's a hurdle I leapt over. It took me many years, but I eventually gave birth to mutant alpha." 

_This guy is out of his mind! Just keep talking, jackass... once the X-Men get here, we'll show you what mutants can do..._

"Your brother, though... he is an interesting specimen..." Sinister continued, placing the lock back on the table. "He has the potential to be a step further than homo superior. However... waiting for his powers to emerge has been a tiresome task, I must admit." 

_Now what's he rambling about? Alex isn't even a mutant, he's just a kid! He's been wasting his time here for nothing! Besides, how would he know if someone's a mutant or not before they used their powers?_

* * *

"Say hello to yer new traveling companion, boys and girls," Fury stated, standing in the hangar as technicians were busy prepping an aircraft. "There's been rumors circulating f'r just under a year about a hypersonic jet capable of mach 6. It's been dubbed the Aurora by the media. Naturally, the government's denied any knowledge." 

"Nice story," John stated. "What's it gotta do with us?" 

"This is the 'Aurora,'" Fury replied. "Capable of mach 6 performance, this is the SR-77 Blackbird. It can get ya wherever you need t' be in a fraction of the time yer last jet could've." 

"Thank you, Colonel," Xavier stated. 

"Awright, let's take 'er out for a spin," Wolverine said, pulling on his black, leather gloves. "Hop on, kids. We got a teammate to rescue." 

"Hold up, Logan," Fury warned. "You guys haven't received clearance for a search and rescue operation. I'll send a SHIELD unit up there to--" 

"Nuh-uh," Logan replied. "This is X-Men business, Fury. We look after our own." 

"Since when have you looked after anyone but yourself?" Fury asked. 

"Since you put me in charge o' this outfit, Nick," Logan replied. "If ya got a problem with that, discharge me." 

Fury glared at Logan long and hard. 

"You push too much, old man," Fury stated. "Keep it up, an' I just might start pushing back..." 

"Colonel... Cyclops is a valuable member of our team, and with our small numbers, we need him," Xavier broke in, wheeling forward. **"Wouldn't you agree?"**

"Yes... I see your point..." Fury replied. 

**"Then... if you don't have any objections... may we go retrieve our companion?"**

"Sure... I see no reason not to... Just try not to get this one blown up..." 

"You heard the man," Xavier stated, turning to the X-Men. "Go on. Return with Scott as soon as possible." 

As the X-Men boarded the jet, many of them exchanged confused glances. Wolverine, however, simply gave Xavier a long, hard stare. 

* * *

**Anchorage**

"What the hell happened here?" Alex asked, as he stepped through the demolished doorway. He looked around and saw something sparking in the next room. 

Quickly, he ran to find the remains of... something which resembled his grandmother. It was a robot of some sort, cleaved in half by something. 

"A... a robot?!" Alex shouted. "What the hell is going on here?!" 

He felt the energy building up within him and ran down to the basement, slamming into the door. It was locked. 

"Don't have time for this!!" 

***FWZAAAM***

The energy released from Alex's hands vaporized the door. He ran down into the basement, until he saw the open entrance. Slowly, he crept inside, his fists clenched tightly. 

He saw a man with chalk-white skin dressed in a lab coat. He was laying out some sort of surgical instruments, and then Alex looked to see the vat he was standing in front of - the vat Scott was in. 

"Oooooooh no..." Alex stated. "Surgery is canceled!!" 

He lifted his arms and fired a plasma blast at Sinister, causing the madman to fall back. He then ran to the vat and tried to figure out a way to open it. 

"Okay... what do I do?" he asked himself, looking over the controls. "Damn, why can't there just be a button that says, 'open'?!" 

Alex pressed a button, yet all that did was cause Scott's helmet to rise off of his head. 

"Okay... guess that wasn't it..." Alex muttered, watching as Scott held his breath. "Shit!! Now what?" 

He banged on the control panel and stepped back, raising his arms. Scott's eyes grew wide in shock as energy began to gather there. 

"Brace yourself, man..." Alex muttered. "...pleasedontscrewuppleasedontscrewuppleasedontscrewup..." 

Scott lifted his arms to cover his face and shut his eyes tightly just before the energy was released. 

*FWZAAAAAAM* 

** *CRASH***

Scott opened up his eyes and slowly stood up. Aside from some minor cuts from the glass, he was fine. Then... he realized something else. The helmet was off, and he wasn't wearing his glasses or his visor. 

"What the hell is going o--" 

Scott was cut off as his optic blasts suddenly shot out from his eyes. He closed them quickly. 

"Alex, grab my glasses!!" he shouted. 

"R-right... gotcha..." Alex stated, grabbing the sunglasses from the table. He ran to Scott's side and slipped them on. "There. Now how about we kick some ass?" 

"Maybe if I had some pants..." Scott muttered, covering himself up, while looking around for his clothes. 

"Don't try anything rash, gentlemen," Sinister stated. He held some sort of object in his hand. "You see this? It's a bomb. If it detonates, I'll survive. And I can work just as well with dead mutants as I can with live ones." 

"Who the hell are you?!" Alex demanded. "What gives you the right to invade our house?!" 

"_Your_ house?" Sinister asked. Then, he simply laughed. "Child, I've been living here for years. Why do you think I have a laboratory down here Or a secret entrance for that matter?" 

"Oh..." Alex muttered. 

"Now then... let's discuss our current situati--" 

Sinister was cut off as lightning suddenly struck him from behind. Scott and Alex looked to see Storm hovering near the doorway. As she slowly floated in, she suddenly dropped to the ground. 

"Shit..." she muttered. 

The other X-Men followed, with Wolverine moving to the front of the group. He looked over at Sinister, then to Scott and Alex. 

"Cold, Cyke?" he asked with a grin. 

"Fuck off!!" Scott replied, covering himself up once again. Psyche and Dazzler suppressed giggles at his embarrassment. 

Sinister stood up and simply laughed. 

"Do you people truly believe that you can defeat me?" he asked. Don't make me laugh." 

"Oh, don't worry, I won't," Wolverine replied, extending his claws. "I'll just make ya bleed." 

Logan ran towards Sinister, slashing at him ferociously. Sinister simply took the beating, before lifting up his arm and slamming Wolverine to the side. Then, he chuckled as the wounds began to heal. 

"I should have mentioned that once I discovered how to unlock the x-factor gene, I tried it on myself," he stated. 

"Oh shut up!!" Dazzler shouted, hurling light bursts at him. "God, all you bad guys just LOVE to brag, don't you?!" 

"Apparently so, Dazz," Beast noted, as he leapt over to Scott. "Maybe it's a requirement to get into the Supervillain Academy." 

He removed the backpack he was wearing, and pulled out some folded pieces of clothing with Scott's visor lying on top of it. 

"Your pants, sir," Hank stated with a grin. Scott grabbed the clothes and quickly slipped them on. He then removed his glasses and carefully replaced them with his visor. 

"Thanks man, I owe you." 

"UGH!!!" Thunderbird exclaimed, as he was thrown into the wall near them, courtesy of Sinister. 

"You all right?" Scott asked. 

"Never better..." 

"So... what do we do?" Alex asked. 

"Well, let's look at this rationally..." Beast began. "Bad guy wants to kill us. Bad guy likes to brag. Bad guy just laughs with whatever we throw at him. Does that answer your question?" 

"So... you're saying what?" Alex asked. 

"Simply put... excuse my French... we're fucked." 

"Aren't you guys supposed to be superheroes or something?" Alex asked. 

Cyclops, Thunderbird, and Beast looked at each other, and then replied in unison, "No." 

"Then what are you? A bunch of guys with a leather fetish? I'm gonna give it a shot!" 

Scott sighed. The three stood there for a moment, before John spoke up. 

"Dude... that was a pretty good slam..." 

Beast and Cyclops looked at Thunderbird. 

"What? It was." 

They both shook their heads and ran after Alex. 

"Sorry for appreciating a good slam..." 

* * *

Psyche struggled with her telekinesis, lifting up various objects in the room and slamming them into Sinister. He just stood there and took it all, as if nothing could affect him. 

"This guy is REALLY starting to piss me off!!" she exclaimed. 

M drove right at him, exchanging blows. She was confident that her resistance to injury would protect her just as his own apparent resistance protected him. 

***SLAM***

She was wrong. 

"Hey, whitey!!" 

Sinister turned to see Alex standing there, his hands beginning to glow. 

"RARGH!!!" Wolverine shouted, leaping onto Sinister's back, and driving his claws into the geneticist's head. Logan watched as the flesh of Sinister's head appeared to mold itself around his claws. He wondered briefly what the extent of Essex's powers were, until Sinister grabbed him, and threw him off. 

"Pathetic..." Sinister muttered. 

"Oh yeah?" Alex asked. "Well... in that case..." 

He lifted his arms, and braced himself for the release of energy that he knew was coming. 

"SUCK ON THIS!!!!" 

***FWZAAAAAAAAAAAM***

Sinister had no way to protect himself from the massive plasma blast fired by Alex Summers, nor did he think he needed any. 

He was wrong. 

He felt the pain and the heat from the energy, even after Alex had cut the stream short. 

"This is... impossible..." Sinister muttered. "It cannot be happening..." 

"What's he babblin' about?" Wolverine asked. 

"Dunno..." Alex replied. 

"The boy... more powerful than I imagined..." Sinister muttered weakly. Alex simply grinned and fired another blast. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left but ashes. 

The X-Men looked at the young mutant, who was staring at his hands and the remains of Sinister in awe. 

"Cool." 

* * *

Fury inhaled the smoke from his cigar, and then dropped it into the snow once he heard footsteps approaching. He turned around to meet the X-Men face to face. 

"Well?" Scott asked. 

"Yer grandparents are fine, Summers," Fury replied. "They're at a local hospital right now. They got no memory of what happened, an' we should keep it that way." 

"What about Sinister's lab?" Scott asked. 

"We've already gutted it. Nothin' special down there. But regardless, it's gotta be confiscated, an' we've built a solid wall to the entrance to th' lab. That way, your grandparents won't be confused if they stumble in it. The question I have is, what's gonna be done about the kid?" 

"He did good, Fury," Logan noted. "He's got power, an' I think he'd be really useful on the team. I say we sign him up." 

"I'd have to talk to him about that..." Scott said. He looked over to see Alex watching the SHIELD agents load Sinister's equipment onto a transport. 

"What was that guy's deal, anyway?" Jean asked. 

"Sinister?" Fury asked. "I checked it out, an' as it turns out, Nathaniel Essex did own this place. He disappeared around the second World War, though, an' it was auctioned off by the state." 

"So he was living underneath in his lab all those years," Monet noted. "I wonder..." 

"About what?" Hank asked. 

"Nothing," Monet replied. "Just thinking out loud." 

"Well, we're about wrapped up here," Fury said. "Good work, people. We'll be in touch." 

"Kind of funny for him to be all supportive when he didn't want us to come here in the first place..." Jean noted. 

"There's a reason for that," Logan replied. 

"What?" Jean asked. 

"Don't worry about it," Logan replied, walking towards the Blackbird. "Tell Summers that we're heading back." 

* * *

"Dude... this is so cool!" Alex exclaimed. "You're a government agent!! Like James Bond type superspy stuff, right?" 

"Not really..." Scott replied. "It's more complicated than that." 

"So what's it like?" 

Scott looked at Alex, noticing his brother's innocence. He then thought about his grandparents, and how they would need help. And how he couldn't offer that help since he had to be in Westchester. And he thought about his brother losing that innocence. He didn't want it to happen. 

"It's... pretty boring..." Scott stated. "Look, I gotta get going. Gramps and Nana didn't know I was here, so let's leave it that way for now. Too much stuff has been going on recently. But listen up, dude... you can't tell anyone about what happened. You can't let anyone know what you can do, all right?" 

"Yeah... that goes without saying, man." 

"Good..." Scott said. "Stay cool, man. I'll keep in touch." 

"You better," Alex warned, giving his brother a hug. "'Cause if you don't, I'll kick your ass." 

Scott chuckled and walked off. 

* * *

"He comin' or what?" Logan asked, waiting for Scott outside the Blackbird. Scott looked towards Alex, and then looked back at Logan. 

"No..." he lied. "He'd rather stay here. Gramps and Nana are gonna need help, and he knows he's the one who's gotta offer it. Besides, he wants to finish high school before he considers being a government agent." 

Logan stared at Scott for a few moments. 

"What?" Scott asked. 

"Nothing," Logan replied. "C'mon, let's get going." 


End file.
